Updated 21st October, 2025

TL;DR

Choose Passion if you want a branded native mobile app with push notifications, in-app community, and subscriptions that consolidate your programs and audience. Choose Teachable if you prefer a web-first course platform with site pages, email, and a lower starting price. Passion can lift mobile engagement and brand control, and your total cost includes Apple and Google developer accounts plus potential in-app purchase commissions. Teachable is simpler for traditional courses with clear tiered plans and a free trial.

Are you juggling DMs, a Facebook group, Zoom links, Stripe checkouts, and a separate course site? That tool sprawl drags down completion and recurring revenue. The real fork in the road is this: build a branded app your audience opens on their phone, or a traditional web course site.

This guide compares Passion.io’s native mobile app approach with Teachable’s web-based model so you can pick the best path for engagement, monetization, and brand control.

The fundamental divide: native mobile app (Passion.io) vs web-based courses (Teachable)

Passion: your branded mobile hub

Passion gives you a no-code way to launch a branded app on iOS, Android, and web in weeks. You publish lessons, run challenges, host an in-app community, send push notifications, and sell subscriptions or one-time offers from one place. Mobile features include offline access, push, communities, and goal tracking, as outlined on the Passion features page.

Passion has 15k+ apps launched and 2m+ paying app users.

Teachable: your web-first course platform

Teachable focuses on creating and selling web-based courses, coaching, and digital downloads. You get a site builder, sales pages, checkout, and a course player. Students access a generic Teachable mobile app rather than a custom-branded app per creator.

In June 2025 Teachable introduced new tiers with product caps, student limits, and a platform fee on Starter, with 0% platform fees on higher tiers.

In-depth comparison: Passion vs Teachable features

Content creation and delivery

Passion

  • Build interactive lessons with video, audio, PDFs, text, quizzes, drip, goal tracking, and challenges. Push notifications and offline playback support a mobile-first path. Publish once for iOS, Android, and web.

Teachable

  • Create web-based courses with video, audio, text, quizzes, certificates, and course compliance. The generic student app provides on-the-go access and offline viewing on iOS, with Android support evolving.

Monetization options and fees

Passion

  • Sell subscriptions, one-time offers, freemium, bundles, and high-touch programs. You can take payments via web checkout or in-app purchases.
  • For web checkout, the PassionPayments guide documents a 3.9% platform fee on top of standard card processing. Eligible plans that allow external checkouts can carry 0% Passion platform fees.
  • If a user buys inside your iOS or Android app, the app store processes the payment and takes a commission. Apple’s Small Business Program offers 15% for eligible developers. Rates up to 30% can apply above program limits. Google Play uses similar ranges depending on product type and revenue.
  • To list a branded app, budget Apple Developer $99 per year and Google Play Developer $25 one time. You can review Apple’s enrollment steps on the Apple Developer Program enrollment page.

Teachable

  • Sell courses, coaching, downloads, memberships, and bundles with free, one-time, payment plans, and subscriptions. Starter includes a platform fee. Builder, Growth, and Advanced have 0% platform fees. Payment processing still applies, such as standard card rates. Teachable offers a 7‑day free trial on paid plans.

Key takeaway: Think of in-app purchases as a toll road for mobile convenience. Use web checkout when margin matters. Offer IAP where one-tap buys can lift conversion and allow app-store discovery.

Community and engagement tools

Passion

  • In-app community spaces with channels, rich media, and direct messaging, plus push notifications as a core nudge. The platform is designed to consolidate audiences away from external groups. See the product focus in the Passion post, The New Passion.io Has Arrived.

Teachable

  • Built-in community spaces and lesson comments support a web-first school. New plans include community and memberships on all tiers, with generous space allowances.

Ease of use and technical requirements

Passion

  • No-code builder with templates. Publish on iOS, Android, and web without writing code. App store submission requires Apple and Google developer accounts.

Teachable

  • No-code course builder with templates and AI helpers for outlines, quizzes, captions, and subtitles. No app-store steps, since students use Teachable’s mobile app.

Pricing, total cost of ownership, and ROI

Passion

  • Public ranges commonly cited for annual billing: Launch starts at $99 per month, Scale starts at $239, Expand starts at$599. Monthly billing is higher. Plus is custom with Passion Plus.
  • Plan your net rate by modeling PassionPayments 3.9% on web checkouts, Apple $99 per year, Google $25 one time, and app-store commissions of roughly 15% to 30% if you sell inside native apps.
  • Case studies across niches point to mobile-first engagement and subscription outcomes. You can review examples on Passion case studies.

Teachable

  • Annual tiers include Starter with a platform fee, then Builder, Growth, and Advanced with 0% platform fees. Standard card processing still applies. A 7‑day free trial is available on paid plans.

Budget rule of thumb: If mobile engagement and brand control are central, Passion’s higher TCO can make sense. If your product is a traditional course and you want a lower initial spend, Teachable’s mid-tiers are attractive.

Customer support and educational resources

Passion

  • Passion Academy training, templates, and live help are part of the offer. First-time builders often call out the guidance and support.
"Passion team always answers my emails and questions. Running an app as a computer illiterate creator isn’t easy but passion makes it simple! Thank you!" — Dana Martin on Trustpilot
"I have been thinking about developing an app for a while... everything is clear, usable and already tried and tested." — Jackie S. on Trustpilot
"I love my app and the course that brought me here! The support team is amazing!" — Åsa Lindstedt on Trustpilot

Teachable

  • Help center resources, plan-based support coverage, and built-in sales tools like coupons, order bumps, upsells, and affiliate tracking on selected tiers.

Integrations and extensibility

Passion

  • Native checkout options and integrations such as Calendly, Typeform, YouTube or Vimeo, plus automations via Zapier.

Teachable

  • App hub with third-party tools and analytics, with capabilities expanding by tier.

Side-by-side comparison tables

Table 1: Core model, engagement, and brand control

Category Passion (mobile app focus) Teachable (web course focus) Best for
Delivery model Branded iOS, Android, and web app — full native/app experience for learners. Web school plus a generic student app — site-first with a shared app wrapper. App-centric vs site-centric programs and creators wanting native presence.
Engagement levers Push notifications, in-app community, challenges, and mobile-first interactions. Email, community spaces, and comments — web- and email-driven touchpoints. Mobile programs needing habitual engagement vs traditional course funnels.
Branding Full app branding on higher tiers — app icon, splash, and app-store presence. Branded web domain and pages, but the mobile app is shared/less custom. Creators who want an owned app presence vs those who prefer a branded website.

Table 2: Monetization, fees, and pricing posture

Category Passion Teachable Notes
Monetization Subscriptions, one-time, freemium, bundles, in-app purchases Courses, coaching, downloads, memberships Both cover core models
Platform fees 3.9% on web via PassionPayments. 0% possible with eligible external checkouts. In-app purchases typically 15–30% to app stores Platform fee on Starter. 0% on Builder and up. Processing fees apply Model total fees before pricing
App store costs Apple $99 per year, Google $25 one time None Only Passion lists a branded app in stores

Table 3: Plans and growth path

Category Passion Teachable Scaling lens
Entry plan (annual) Launch about $99 per month Starter with a platform fee Lower entry price on Teachable
Mid plan (annual) Scale about $239 per month Builder Platform fee removed here on Teachable
Higher plan (annual) Expand about $599 per month Growth App-store listing support on upper tiers for Passion
Top tier Plus (custom) Advanced, Custom DFY vs API and integrations focus

Who should choose Passion or Teachable?

Choose Passion if…

  • You want a true branded mobile app on iOS, Android, and web, not just a site.
  • Push notifications, in-app community, and challenges are central to your program cadence.
  • Subscriptions are your core business model and you want mobile-first retention tools.
  • You are prepared for Apple and Google developer steps and fees, and you can model IAP vs web checkout margins.
  • You value training and playbooks tied to the build.

Choose Teachable if…

  • You want a straightforward web-based course platform with a lower entry price and a free trial.
  • Your offers are traditional courses, coaching, downloads, or memberships delivered primarily on the web.
  • You prefer to avoid app-store logistics and IAP fees and rely on a generic student app.
  • You want platform transaction fees gone at a modest mid-tier.

Making your decision: Passion or Teachable?

Consider these three questions to guide your choice:

Where do you want your audience to live day to day?

  • If members engage on their phones and you want to nudge them with push and in-app community, go app-first with Passion.
  • If learners prefer a laptop browser in a classic course layout, go web-first with Teachable.

What fee path preserves your margin?

  • Passion: weigh the 3.9% PassionPayments web fee against app-store commissions of roughly 15% to 30%, plus Apple $99 per year and Google $25 one time.
  • Teachable: avoid the Starter platform fee by choosing a higher tier once revenue supports it.

What will help you ship in 30 days?

  • Passion’s builder, templates, and training shorten the path to a real app.
  • Teachable’s course builder gets a web school live fast with familiar pages and checkout.

Heres's what others say about Passion

"Simple and efficient. So far the experience has been very positive." — M.J.McCullock on Trustpilot
"Excellent, I feel supported, inspired and guided." — Andrés Galindo on Trustpilot

Steps: your 30-day launch plan

Week 1: Content and accounts (target: core content ready, dev accounts open)

  • Inventory 10 core lessons and plan 2 community prompts per week.
  • Set pricing: monthly and annual tiers plus a one-time bundle.
  • If choosing Passion, open Apple and Google developer accounts. Apple is $99 per year. Google is $25 one time. See Apple’s enrollment steps on the Apple Developer Program enrollment.

Week 2: Build and configure (target: product built, checkout paths set)

  • Build your first product. Add onboarding and a short welcome video.
  • Decide where to transact: web checkout for margin, IAP for convenience. Document when each applies and review the PassionPayments guide for fee specifics.

Week 3: Engagement setup (target: nudges scheduled, community live)

  • Set a push or email cadence. Draft 6 nudges for the first month.
  • Open your community with 3 pinned posts and a weekly challenge.

Week 4: Soft launch and refine (target: first 50–100 users, testimonials collected)

  • Invite warm buyers. Run a time-boxed challenge.
  • Collect 3 testimonials and fix any onboarding friction.

Risks and mitigations

  • App store review delays for mobile apps. Mitigation: submit early using a listing checklist and keep onboarding live on the web while you wait.
  • Engagement drop after launch. Mitigation: pre-schedule pushes or emails, run a 4‑week challenge, and seed daily posts in your community.

Watch before you choose

Get an independent walkthrough in Mike’s Guides video, Passion Review 2025 - My Honest Experience.

Build your branded course and app today

Try Passion with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Start monetizing your skills and passion.

Frequently asked questions

What are Teachable’s tiers in 2025?

Starter includes a platform fee. Builder, Growth, and Advanced offer 0% platform fees. A 7‑day free trial is available on paid plans. Standard card processing fees still apply.

Do I need Apple or Google developer accounts with Passion?

Yes if you want your own branded listings. Apple Developer is $99 per year and Google Play is $25 one time. Review Apple’s steps on the Apple Developer Program enrollment.

Can I avoid app-store fees on Passion?

Yes. Sell on the web using PassionPayments or an approved external checkout. The PassionPayments guide documents a 3.9% platform fee on web checkouts. App-store fees only apply to purchases made inside native apps.

What mobile app does Teachable provide?

A generic student app. Students log in with their Teachable account and see courses from all schools tied to that email. This is included on all plans.

Key terminology

  • Native mobile app: A branded app installed on iOS and Android with push, offline, and device integrations.
  • No-code: Visual builders that let you create products without writing code.
  • Push notifications: Messages sent to users’ devices that can drive logins and completion.
  • In-app purchases: Purchases processed by Apple or Google with fees that often range from 15% to 30%.
  • PassionPayments: Stripe-powered web checkout with a 3.9% platform fee on Passion. See the PassionPayments guide.
  • TCO: Total cost of ownership across plans, fees, and operational overhead.